HOYAS SPOIL DEBUT

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BROOKLYN, N.Y. Three games late because of an eligibility dispute, complicated by ankle and shoulder problems that cost him much of his preseason preparation, Shabazz Muhammad's 15 points in 25 minutes Monday night would best describe his UCLA debut as quiet, but not really disappointing.

Coach Ben Howland was intent on not pushing too much too soon on perhaps the best recruit in the country. And, with a possibility of a hyped matchup with top-ranked Indiana hanging for tonight's final of the Progressive Legends Classic, the freshman-laden, 11th-ranked Bruins did their part to keep the expectations sane, losing to unranked Georgetown, 78-70, in Monday night's semifinal at the new Barclays Center.

“I really wanted a shot at them (Indiana) but we weren't really ready,” said Muhammad, a reality proved during an 11-minute stretch spanning halftime, when the Bruins were befuddled by Georgetown's switch to a zone. UCLA's 24-20 lead turned into 43-29 deficit and they never got closer than four thereafter.

“Their experience really hurt us,” Howland said.

The Bruins (3-1) had no answers for junior guard Markel Starks (23 points on 9-for-14 shooting), nor Otto Porter, (18 points, 11 rebounds). Porter, the 6-foot-10 forward finally was healthy enough to play a complete game for the first time this season — just the Bruins' luck.

UCLA was paced again by freshman Jordan Adams, whose 22 points were his fourth game of 20 or more in his four-game collegiate career. His four successful free throws extended his streak of perfection to 30.

But then UCLA, which faces Georgia in the consolation game tonight, has some distance to travel to turn an exciting recruiting class into one of the best teams in the nation.

“I thought Georgetown did two things, one when they went to zone at the end of the first half when we got tentative and couldn't get it inside, then when Georgetown offense cut us off in the second,” Howland said. “You have to credit them, but then we are a team that obviously is very young.

“After we put Kyle (Anderson) inside to catch the ball and make plays for others we did a better job, but their experience really hurt us. Starks had 23 points in his last six games last season. He has made a big jump.”

Travis Wear had 12 points and eight rebounds for UCLA, which lost his twin brother David to a back injury as he hit the floor hard falling over teammate Joshua Smith in pursuit of an early second half rebound.

David Wear might not play tonight against Georgia, which hung with Indiana through 30 minutes before falling, 66-53, but Muhammad certainly will enter that contest with expectations of being better than he was in his debut.

“It was really exciting to get out there get the jitters out and play college basketball for the first time,” he said. “But I didn't play as well as I can play, didn't play that well on defense.”

He made half his shots (5 for 10), half his 3-pointer (2 for 4) and 3 of 4 free throws, with two assists and a turnover in 25 minutes that were a lot quieter than the buzz. Muhammad made a jumper to cut the Hoyas lead to 50-46 with 11:53 to play in the second half but was pulled at 54-50.

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